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This Week in Tech News

Drones are now being used to identify sharks off the beaches of Australia. Humans are able to only accurately identify a breed of shark 20% of the time, while camera enabled drones have a 90% accuracy.

Seeking to get out into the market before Apple launches the 10th anniversary iPhone, Samsung has announced the Galaxy Note 8. Leo says it looks pretty good, but he doesn't like the positioning of the fingerprint reader because it's near the camera lens, meaning you'll likely be constantly dirtying up the lens of your camera. There's also a button for "Bixby," a new mobile assistant. Leo says it's another button to keep track of, and it's unnecessary.

In what Leo calls a simple application of machine learning and data translation, Google Home can now make phone calls to any number in your phone's contacts. Leo adds this is the benefit to offering free services like Google Voice and Google Photos. It's able to take all that data that Google has access too and apply it to applications that make our lives easier.

The FBI has been contacting companies to tell them not to use Kaspersky AntiVirus Software because it represents a security threat, especially to power companies and other key industries vital to national security. Leo says it would have been better to just get the word out through the media and shows like the Tech Guy so that everyone could benefit from the warning. But truth be told, Leo isn't a fan of any antiVirus because it gives you a false sense of security. If you must use one, just use the one that comes with Windows. It's called Windows Defender and it does a good enough job.

Amazon has issued a recall alert and cancelled all orders for glasses told to view the upcoming solar eclipse. The glasses were counterfeit and has the proper ISO certification printed on the items, even though they weren't. Not knowing which ones were real and which were counterfeit on it's face, Amazon decided to cancel ALL sales and issue a recall.

Google is announcing Android O Monday, and we'll find out what the "O" stands for. Usually it's dessert names, and it's hard to imagine it would be anything other than Oreo. That is a brand name, however, so Google would have to get permission to use it.

Android O will bring some new features, and many users will not get it. One of the biggest problems with Android right now is that companies who make Android phones and carriers that sell them are slow to update, if ever. The only people who will get it right away are Google Pixel owners, or those who have Nexus phones.

After the disaster battery explosion issue with the Note 7, Samsung is about to relaunch the phone line with the Galaxy Note 8. Leo says it will probably be the safest phone on the market because if Samsung blows it with this one, it'll probably be the end of their phone business. He expects it to be a popular seller, especially for long running Note users.

T-Mobile has announced that it is launching its own Android phone called the REVVL, made by Alcatel. The phone will have a fingerprint sensor and cost $125. Leo says that security patches must be done regularly or saving money on a house phone simply isn't going to be beneficial.

Consumer Reports has been seeing poor long term reliability in the data they are collecting from readers on Microsoft's Surface line of products. It's so bad that they've downgraded their recommendation to "Do Not Buy." Leo says that long term reliability is something that Consumer Reports goes to great expense to analyze and that they're probably on the money with their decision.